[quote]Brother Chris wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]Sloth wrote:
By the way, why is anyone lecturing Christian conservatives about charity? Sure we could always do more, but we are aware who tends to be more charitable in both time and money, right? Oh, right, we were pretending that entitlements heading for bankruptcy (imagine the poverty when that happens) was charitable giving.[/quote]
Look, what I’m getting at is pretty simple. And before anyone accuses me of preaching from up high, I’m a pretty hardcore fiscal conservative for the most part, and I am also a “believer” in that I believe in God and the teachings of Jesus Christ as laid out in the Bible. I don’t claim to be free of hypocrisy, nor do I claim to be an expert on the meanings of Jesus’ sermons.
That being said, I don’t think it’s wholly inaccurate or outlandish to say that there is some real, tangible, inherent hypocrisy in those who support fiscal conservatism on the one hand and Jesus on the other. Whether or not “entitlements” are headed for bankruptcy and whether or not they are viewed as entitlements and not the very fortunate donation that they actually are is immaterial, according to my understanding of Jesus’ teachings. What IS material is whether or not those programs are helping the poor and in what ways they can be tailored to improve on this, NOT in which ways they can be tailored to prevent the bankrupting of the rest of the country. I think Jesus would argue that if it takes bankrupting the country to feed and clothe the poor, regardless of how grateful they are, then we should do it if we claim to believe in His word.
I won’t argue about conservatives and charity in a general sense though. I can’t remember who the guy was now, but several years ago I read a large study by a writer from the NY Times that basically showed that conservatives actually donate to charities at a higher rate, both overall and relative to their net worth, than liberals do. HOWEVER, Jesus also said that we should not donate to the Church, but rather to the poor. The same study showed that an overwhelming majority of conservatives donations are to their churches, and not to the poor. Liberals tend to donate to museums and theaters and that sort of thing at about the same rate.[/quote]
One small thing that you should have learned in CCD is that it’s not your understanding. Your understanding is not a valid option. Truth is truth. But, I’m sure they did teach that in CCD. Or, they could have failed. I don’t know, and it is not hugely important.
However, though you are correct that entitlement programs can go both ways, neither does the Church say how charitable giving is supposed to go. That is why Dolan recently gave praise to the attempt at Universal Healthcare of all that junk coming out of the WH, but said that it couldn’t be accepted at this time because of the moral issues with the bill/policy/&c. that came with it. He also pointed out that UH whether it be through private or public means is up for debate. Either one is viable, but implementation is a matter of practicality.
I personally hope for UH soon, but whether America can do that through private means or through public I lean towards public at the moment with regulation of the medical field. Though, a better was would to be de-regulate and allow for UH on a more private level.[/quote]
Thou shalt not steal
and
thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
Seems to me Jehova is a tad less practical than you are.